Rigged games and broken rules
by evaernst
Summary: The morning after a short night and lots of alcohol there are a lot of things to talk about and important decisions to make. Is Rumpelstiltskin's plan truly the best way to achieve their goals? Is Regina trustworthy? Dragon Queen & Sea DeVil
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own Once Upon a Time or its characters. **

**I'm sorry for all grammar and spelling mistakes. I'm not a native speaker. **

„Good morning, darling"

Slowly Ursula opened her eyes just to close them again really quickly. Light. Too much light. Too much light after a very short night and lots of alcohol.

"You really have to get up now or Mal has eaten the whole breakfast on her own." Cruella laughed and pulled the warm covers from Ursula's body.

Ursula groaned loudly and buried her face in her pillow. Loud. Too loud. Too loud after a very short night and lots of alcohol.

"Could you please be a bit quieter?" Ursula mumbled and tried to pull the covers back over her head.

"Sorry darling. You've slept long enough." Cruella answered and threw the covers on the ground so Ursula could not reach them anymore.

"Long enough? I'm sure it was not longer than five minutes." Ursula slowly sat up and rubbed her eyes.

"It's already way past ten. Mal and I are already up since eight o'clock." Cruella answered while opening the window to let some fresh air into the cabin.

"Where's Rumple?" Ursula stood up and picked up her towel from the ground. Ursula did not even try to remember how it ended up there.

"I think we effectively scared him away with our drinking games yesterday. Now go, have a quick shower then join us for breakfast." Cruella said and left the room to grant Ursula a little privacy. After only fifteen minutes Ursula sat down at the breakfast table next to Cruella.

"Good morning, Ursula. I heard you had a little trouble standing up." Maleficent smirked and took a bite from her toast.

"Please, you cannot tell me that you are not hungover today." Ursula said and took a toast herself.

Cruella laughed loudly. "Oh , darling, I'm fine but Maleficent has already swallowed at least a handful of aspirin."

This caused Mal to give her a friendly flap on the back of her head. "Anyway, you took it worst from all of us."

"Depends. Did you hear from Regina already? The two of you seemed very close last night. I was already worried that Cruella and I would witness something that would scar us forever-if you know what I mean." Ursula grinned and did not shy away from Maleficent's evil glare.

"Funny, I was going to say the exact same thing about you and Cruella." Maleficent replied with a cocky smile.

"Nah, you and our ex-evil-queen were definitely worse and by the way you should be used to Ursula and me being together by now." Cruella answered and passed Ursula the requested Nutella.

"Yes, I definitely should. We should hurry, Regina is going to be here any minute now." Mal proposed.

"You cannot possibly expect her to be on time after the amount of alcohol she drank last night. I think we can be happy if she doesn't sleep through the whole day." Ursula said raising one eyebrow.

"No, that's not the Regina I know." Maleficent answered.

"Well, as Ursula and I didn't not hesitate to point out: Regina is not the same anymore. She has gone soft and no amount of alcohol can conceal that." Cruella answered. For a short moment Maleficent remained silent then she nodded slowly.

"I know but neither are we and you cannot deny it. And maybe that's a good thing. Change, you know, sometimes it's good if things change." Maleficent said and watched the stunned faces of the other two closely.

"Who are you and what have you done to I-want-revenge-Maleficent?" Ursula asked watching Maleficent's facial expression closely.

"Still the same, don't worry but don't you agree that you are now better off with each other than before we were reunited and you were alone?"

Cruella and Ursula looked at each other but kept quiet, both of them not ready for open affection and admissions of love in a sober state. Maleficent presented them with one of her rare smiles knowing exactly what was going on in their heads. "See, change is not all bad."

"Are you doubting the plan?" Cruella asked, her voice quieter and more insecure than the two others had ever heard it be.

"I don't doubt the plan but I truly doubt Rumpelstiltskin. Don't you remember last time? You know how he always promises the world but never delivers. He deliberately left us there to be killed by the Chernabog, not that I blame him. I mean every one of us would have done the same back then but now things are different. We have more to lose. You know what I mean. I am simply saying that we have to be careful."

"I can't get something Regina said last night out of my head." Ursula whispered quietly.

"What did she say?" Cruella asked and looked at the other woman curiously.

"Well, Cruella, do you remember what you have told Rumpelstiltskin back in the enchanted forest when he took back the gauntlet? " Ursula asked.

"I told him that the game was rigged and that villains never got their happy endings." Cruella answered. "But I don't see your point."

"Well, Regina said last night that maybe looking for the author is the wrong approach to get what we desire. Maybe it's not about changing our environment. Maybe it is truly about changing ourselves or better said going back to where we started. I know Cruella that you don't like to hear that but you have to admit that we were good people back then." Ursula answered expecting a strong reaction from her two companions but nothing happened.

"Please pass me the coffee." Cruella said without looking Ursula in the eye.

"Don't you want to comment on what I just said?" Ursula asked looking expectantly at Cruella and Maleficent.

"Maybe she is right, don't you think Cruella?" Maleficent said.

"I don't know. I mean admitting Regina is right would mean that I cannot be happy because of the way I am…because of my character…well, this is quite sad, don't you think?" Cruella hesitated and then turned her head to look out of the window.

"Cruella, you know there is something else Regina has said several times last night. She said that evil isn't born, it's made. And you know that this applies to you too. Deep down you are not a bad person and you know that. So it's not because of your character that you don't get your happy ending but because you've made some pretty bad choices." Maleficent said unusually affectionate. Slowly Ursula took Cruella's hand into her own. Cruella blinked heavily and nodded quickly.

"Okay, I get it, but what now? Rumpel will not be amused if we decide to quit."

"We will find a solution." Ursula said and Maleficent nodded. In that moment someone knocked on the door. Regina.

"We will talk some more tonight." Maleficent said. They had a long day ahead of them.

**I'm sorry if Ursula, Cruella and Maleficent seem a bit (or a lot) out of character, I guess I am just too cheesy **

**Please tell me what you think! I am considering to continue the story, what do you think?**


	2. Chapter 2

Regina looked surprisingly well in the morning, but Ursula saw to her great satisfaction that the former Evil Queen also had to swallow some aspirin.

Apart from that, nothing very interesting happened that day.

Cruella and Ursula were still unsure whether Regina could truly be trusted, as she kept asking very invasive questions that raised their suspicions, but Maleficent saw it as a sign of Regina's commitment to their common goal.

Cruella couldn't hold back one or two snarky comments, so the overall mood of the evening was less than ideal.

When the three Queens of Darkness returned to the cabin in the woods, Rumplestiltskin was already waiting for them. He looked them over from head to toe before speaking slowly and deliberately, "You, are late."

"I didn't know we had an appointment," Maleficent said without even bothering to look at him. Neither did Ursula and Cruella. Their conversation from this morning was still very present in their minds.

"We didn't but we had a deal-"

"We did not," Cruella answered. "You said it yourself: this time you are dependent on us, not the other way around and that means this time we make the rules, darling. Come to terms with it or don't, I don't care." Carefully she laid her precious fur coat over the back of a chair at the dining table.

Rumplestiltskin was quiet for a moment ,obviously trying to swallow his pride before speaking again.

"You are right, I'm sorry. I simply thought that it would be in our all interest if we could achieve our goal as soon as possible. I think I speak for you too, when I say that we have definitely waited long enough," Rumple answered, observing each of the three women closely. "Is there something wrong? Does Regina suspect anything? Or did one of you spill our secrets?"

"Who do you think you're talking to?" Ursula snapped. "We're not stupid. The day just wasn't as productive as expected."

"I thought so. No one would willingly give the three of you information." Rumple answered.

Mal simply raised one of her perfect eyebrows at his accusing tone.

"You know what I mean," Rumple added quickly.

"I'm sorry, are we disappointing you?" Ursula said in a too sweet voice to be honest.

Rumple ignored her comment and continued quickly, "But your alliance with Regina could be beneficial for us. Her son, Henry, he is in possession of a story book which might give us additional information on the author. The only problem is getting it. He's very protective concerning the book and I doubt that he would ever willingly hand it over to one of the 'Queens of Darkness'.

"However, he might lend it to his mother, and she might allow us to take a look at it. Keep Regina close. She and Henry might be the key to our happy endings."

"Oh yes, for at least one of us she might." Ursula muttered so quietly that only Cruella, who was standing right next to her, was able to hear. Cruella grinned at Ursula knowingly.

Rumple pulled out his phone and showed them a picture of the young boy.

"I see your point," Maleficent answered. "But how are we supposed to explain that we know about the book? Won't Regina be suspicious if we suddenly have information on her son? She's very protective of him I'm sure."

"Oh, she is, but I'm sure you can think of something." He grinned at her confidently.

She continued, the barely veiled threat in her words belied by her casual glare. "By the way, would you mind finally filling us in on the whole plan? I don't like this step by step revelation of yours. It makes me think you have something to hide."

"My dear Maleficent, you know the whole plan: find the author. I have nothing to hide. I promise you," Rumple answered. "Now, please excuse me. I still have business in town."

Cruella smirked, "Spying on that little maid of yours isn't business, that's just creepy. She has moved on Rumple, let her be. There might be other people in this town that might be more in your league like that old wolf-lady from Granny's-"

"Listen carefully, dearie. Stay out of my relationship, or I'll start interfering in yours," Rumple growled in a low and threatening tone.

"Darling, I haven't the faintest idea what you mean, " she replied.

With an irritated glance, Rumple whirled out of sight.

After he was gone, no one said a word for nearly half an hour. The three were caught up in their own thoughts, and not in the mood for idle chit-chat. They were all sitting in front of the fireplace, minding their own business, when Ursula finally spoke up.

"I thought we wanted to talk."

"I'm not in the mood." Maleficent said and continued to stare into the flames. Cruella did likewise, and Ursula groaned quietly at their stubbornness.

"Look, I know this wasn't a good day, but we have to decide what to do! You can't possibly tell me that you believed that little imp. He's hiding something from us and in the end it'll be just like the last time: he will win and we will lose," Ursula said with increasing anger.

Cruella turned around slowly. "I know. He never gets what he wants without cheating someone else to do it," she whispered quietly. "Maleficent, don't you have something to add?"

"No," the dragon rolled her eyes and continued to stare into the flames.

"What is wrong with you?" Ursula snapped. "You were the one who was most eager to quit this find-the-author-and-make-him-write-us-a-happy-ending quest! Did you change your mind? At least talk to us!"

"There is no way we will ever achieve our goals on our own, going about it like this." Maleficent said, looking at the two women for the first time.

"This is about Regina," Cruella said dryly. She sighed and rubbed her tired eyes.

"Why can't you see that Regina is on our side?!" Maleficent hissed.

Ursula and Cruella were shocked by her suddenly evident hostility.

The sea queen replied, "How do we know that? I know you want to believe she's on our side, but for all we know she's probably just been spying for those idiot heroes." Ursula reached for Maleficent's hand but the other woman drew back quickly. "Please, I know that you were with Regina back in the Enchanted Forest, and that you never got over her leaving you, but don't let your feelings for her cloud your mind."

"You haven't even given her a chance!"

"She gave us no reason to!" Cruella answered quickly as she stood up and leaned over the blonde, grabbing Maleficent's chin and forcing her to make eye contact. "Listen, darling, you have to believe that it is not our aim to stand between you and your happy ending, but we do not want to run straight into a trap just because we were not careful enough."

As Cruella released Maleficent, Ursula asked, "Do you really think that Regina can be trusted?"

"Yes, I do believe that," Maleficent answered, her voice soft. Ursula and Cruella looked at each other, unsure how to react. "Please, at least try to be… nice to her," Maleficent said.

"Oh no, don't use those puppy-dog eyes on us!" Cruella said quickly, desperately trying not to smile.

Ursula gave in, "Alright, Cruella and I will do our best to give her a chance, but that doesn't mean we won't observe her closely, do you understand?"

Maleficent smiled at the two other women. "Thank you."


End file.
